As the weather gets colder, we’re all looking for ways to get through the winter months. One of the most popular natural remedies is ginger. It’s been used for thousands of years and has been shown to relieve symptoms like sore throat and coughing as well as boost overall health. People often use ginger as a home remedy for treating colds and sore throats due to its antibacterial markers that can help handle pain and inflammation. The Ginger (Zingiber officinale) root is a perennial plant. Our forefathers have consumed ginger as a herbal therapy for decades after decades to cure many health conditions, from arthritis to abdominal pain. Today, we often use ginger when we have a cough or cold. The scientific database reveals that ginger has medicinal effects that could ease the symptoms of a cold or sore throat.
This article will examine how ginger may help colds and how you can use it in teas, juices, and other home remedies.
How is ginger good for treating Colds?
There is no definitive proof that ginger can cure or eliminate colds from roots, but research indicates that it may help control them. Ginger can also aid in improving cold symptoms.
One study review shows that there is evidence that ginger can help:
- prevent colds
- control or relieve a sore throat
- ease congestion
- decrease inflammation
However, researchers need to examine ginger’s additional benefits to support this evidence.
Medicinal properties
Ginger has blends called gingerols and shogaols. Experimenters consider that these compounds give ginger its therapeutic properties. It is a potent anti-inflammatory. It’s also a natural expectorant and decongestant, which helps to clear up congestion. Ginger is high in vitamin C and manganese, both essential nutrients for boosting your immune system during the cold season. While ginger may not be a cure-all for the common cold or flu (it’s always best to consult your doctor if you’re sick), it can help keep you feeling better while you recover.
Studies point out that ginger could be healthy in the following ways:
1. Antibacterial Traits of Ginger
A 2011 lab study discovered ginger had a more elevated antibacterial impact than antibiotics against Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes (S. bacterium that induces streptococcal pharyngitis and strep throat). Current laboratory studies verified the antibacterial effects of ginger.
2. Antiviral Features
Test tube studies show the antiviral effects of ginger. In animals, research also finds its effectiveness against pain and fever. Fresh ginger is helpful against respiratory viruses. A 2020 lab study revealed that fresh ginger had antiviral traits in respiratory infections. Dried ginger did not have any impact so far. Ginger seems to prevent the virus growth. Moreso, no evidence suggests that ginger can defend against SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19.
3. Antioxidant Effects
Further, a recent laboratory study of ginger, alligator pepper, and nutmeg located that ginger owned the highest antioxidant effect of the three spices. Antioxidants assist in preventing the cell damage that results from inflammation. Notably, most of these analyses needed more or took place in a laboratory or on animals. Researchers have yet to validate these results on humans.
4. Anti-inflammatory Agent
Ginger showed anti-inflammatory activity in laboratory samples concerning throat infection. Ginger could lower pharyngitis and inflammation of the throat. It reduces the production of prostaglandins, a compound that causes inflammation in your body. It has long been used as an anti-inflammatory agent, but it wasn’t until recently that researchers could prove its effectiveness concretely. In fact, a review of 29 clinical trials found that ginger was effective at treating common cold symptoms—it reduced nasal congestion in about half of the participants and nasal discharge in about two-thirds of them.
While this is promising news for those suffering from colds and cases of flu, what’s even more exciting is how effective ginger can be at preventing these infections from occurring at all!
How does it Work?
Ginger is a natural remedy for colds and flu. It can help relieve common cold symptoms, sore throat, cough, and congestion. It’s also been shown to inhibit viral infections in lab tests—but how exactly does it work?
The answer lies in the gingerols found naturally in ginger root. Gingerols are potent antioxidants that destroy free radicals (unstable molecules that damage cells). They also reduce inflammation which causes pain, discomfort, and fever, while easing muscle aches as well as nausea caused by motion sickness or vomiting due to illness.
Proven benefits of ginger for cold and flu
Ginger can boost your immunity by increasing your body’s production of white blood cells, which are responsible for fighting viruses and bacteria. It also helps reduce inflammation and mucus buildup in the nasal cavity, making breathing more accessible when you’re sick or congested with a cold.
Studies have shown that consuming ginger can relieve pain, especially muscle aches and sore throats caused by colds or cases of flu. Ginger contains compounds called gingerols that have analgesic properties—meaning they act like painkillers without causing drowsiness or other adverse side effects!
How to Use Ginger for Treating Colds
The FDA has approved Ginger’s safety for most people, but some may be allergic to it. Ginger is not a replacement for cold and flu medications or antibiotics prescribed by your doctor. Exercise caution when using regular teas and supplements if you are expecting a child. Occasionally, Ginger causes stomach upset. Suspend use if this occurs.
Ginger can be taken in the form of tea, juice, or lozenges. People can also add Ginger to smoothies or meals. You can also use ginger in the following forms for treating colds or coughs at home:
The primary sign our body shows us when we suffer from a cold or flu is a sore throat. For this, grate some ginger and put it in a pot of boiling water. After it boils, add honey to it and squeeze half a lemon into it, and you are OK to go. This is also healthy for both sore throats and coughs. Ginger eases sore throats when they are irritated, and honey benefits the throat and subdues nasty coughs.
Ginger and Tulsi Tea
Grate Ginger and add 4-5 leaves of Tulsi in water. Let it boil for about a minute, and then add the rest of the ingredients. Drinking Ginger and tulsi simultaneously will reduce your body’s temperature if you suffer from fever and comfort you from headaches and coughs.
Lemongrass Ginger Combo
Lemongrass is rich in anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory effects. It helps you deal with flu, colds, and coughs. When fused with Ginger, this drink works like a tonic. Get some grated ginger in water to a boil. Add the dried or fresh lemongrass into it. Turn off the flame and let it saturate for 3-4 minutes. You can add honey if you like.
Boil ginger juice and press some lemon in it. Adding lemon juice to boiling water and some ginger helps control and remove phlegm from the body. Ginger also operates as an antioxidant and helps the body out toxins, eliminating infections and flu. The vitamin C content in lemons also serves as a bioactive agent removing mucus and helping reduce pain.
Chewing Ginger
Direct: ginger chewing of the raw ginger root also benefits cough and cold relief. You can chew ginger slices in the raw form twice a day, but if you can’t bear the hot flavor of Ginger, don’t go for it.
Ginger candy
You can buy it at grocery stores. These ginger candies are a way to provide less heat to your body. You can chew up to 4 candies daily to settle your throat infection.
Ginger powder:
Add about 2 teaspoons of this powder to your food while cooking, and you will notice your health has an apparent difference.
In Raw Form:
Ginger root is often eaten raw when it’s sliced thin and added to salads, sandwiches, or eaten fresh with some lemon juice squeezed on top. You can also prepare ginger tea by boiling peeled slices of ginger root in water. You could also add some peppermint leaf if you want an extra kick!
In Dried Form:
Dried pieces of ginger root can be used instead of fresh ones when you want to cook with them because they have more nutrients than their raw counterparts (the enzyme (gingerol) responsible for most anti-inflammatory properties is destroyed during cooking).
Sipping ginger tea is a great way to get all the benefits of ginger. It can be taken hot or cold and is easy to make.
Prepare at home:
Grate fresh ginger in hot water or add a piece of dried root to boiling water and steep it for at least 4 minutes. You can also buy ready-made ginger tea bags from your local grocery store or health food store—they’re super convenient!
BOTTOM LINE
Ginger has been used throughout history for its internal and external healing properties and treating cold symptoms like nasal congestion, coughs, and sore throats. There are numerous other uses for this powerful root. All in all, ginger may be the answer to your cold and flu problems. It has been scientifically proven to be effective in treating symptoms of a cold and even helps reduce the duration of the illness. So, if you feel like this winter will last forever, give ginger a try!
